Dark, oppressive, a pitch-black space where even reaching out, one cannot see a finger ahead.
It was as if gravity didn't exist here.
All matter floated!
At the far edge of vision, faint outlines could be seen: rooftops, hills, and buildings in a Fusang-style architecture.
Of course…
They were visible but utterly out of reach!
Barriers seemed to exist everywhere, fortifications blocking the way.
And occasionally, snake-like monsters would suddenly appear!Serpentine shadows!
This was the first line of defense guarding the Phantom Demon King Tara's domain.
"Where is Tara?"
"This place feels utterly desolate!"
"Planning to unleash the primordial demon?"
"We must stop it!"
Rough, savage noises echoed through the void.
From the distant, ethereal depths of the dimension, four figures slowly approached.
Muscular and massive, like a world-class bodybuilder, Zhong Su.
A figure resembling Fat Brother, Di Kui.
The voluptuous beauty dressed in a kimono, Bo Gang.
The tall, commanding young man at the front, gripping a dog chain.
At the other end of the chain: a mutated elite wearing General Bart's mask, Angel!
Together, they strolled through the Shadow Kingdom.
Their destination: Tara's hidden lair.
The Shadow Kingdom—a mysterious, unfathomable extra dimension.
The lair of the nine Phantom Corps.
Even if a creature's body disintegrated, it could be revived instantly by the energy of the Shadow Kingdom, fully restored in an instant!
The monsters dwelling here generally had scarlet eyes and grotesque, terrifying appearances.
This was a place no living creature could safely tread.
Prolonged exposure inevitably led to corruption: the vile energy would erode and assimilate intruders, turning them into mindless, soulless beasts—zombies obeying Tara's commands.
Of course…
The Shadow Kingdom's energy posed no threat to ancient demons.
It could even be absorbed, harnessed, and converted to enhance one's own attributes and magical power!
"Simply delicious!"
Bo Gang opened her mouth.
A powerful suction emanated, spreading over a kilometer radius.
Everything in its path, all obstacles, were drawn in, falling into the belly of the Mountain Demon!
Fat stored as energy, rapidly restoring her strength!
Fat—that was Bo Gang's source of power.
Everything she relied on.
Countless years of imprisonment had nearly depleted her energy entirely, almost to zero!
If Tara hadn't provided this feast, Bo Gang might have devoured Mount Fuji itself.
"Angel."
"Why haven't we reached the destination yet?"
Shen Du frowned.
They urgently needed to pinpoint Tara's hiding place.
The Shadow Kingdom connected to the vast and expansive Shadow Realm.
Shadow Realm.
A dimension of shadows, similar in nature to the Mirror Dimension.
A parallel space existing alongside the real world.
Light and shadow, mirrors—forming the framework of the three-dimensional world!
Strictly speaking, shadows existed everywhere; in any plane, they were present!
The key point:
No demon lord ruled the Shadow Realm!
'Beast?'Eliminate it directly!
Even Shen Du intended to claim the Shadow Kingdom as the foundation of his future multiversal singularity.
"Traveling through the Shadow Realm to reach other parallel worlds."
"Efficient and clever!"
Shen Du's lips curled into a smirk.
Then, he abruptly yanked the dog chain, pulling Angel close.
"The Shadow Kingdom is vast…"
"I've never been here myself, only sensing Tara's location through perception."
Angel's face showed pitiful resentment.
He deeply felt the despair caused by Tara's abandonment.
So he resolved to betray Tara, sabotaging the Phantom Demon King's plans entirely!
"Then fly to your heart's content."
"Don't worry about the dog chain's length."
"My magical item can extend infinitely."
Shen Du urged.
Dog chain?
Seriously, brother!Did you need to be so blunt?
Angel felt extremely vexed.
But with his life in the hands of the Sovereign, he dared not refuse.
Whoosh!!
Wings flapped behind him, feathers clashing, producing a sharp metallic hum.
The Phantom Mask granted Angel immense physical prowess and terrifying regenerative abilities.
Even feathers that had fallen regrew, allowing for high-speed movement and aerial dominance!
Clang, clang!!
A series of metallic rings linked together, stretching seemingly without end, trailing Angel deep into the Shadow Kingdom.
"This!"
"Looks like the Sovereign still has many treasures!"
"Give me a dog chain!"
Zhong Su, Di Kui, and Bo Gang exclaimed in unison.
"Only one available," Shen Du said apologetically.
In truth, the dog chain came from the villain system!
A peculiar magical tool with the ability to stretch infinitely—impossible to escape through normal means.
Only the one who fastened the chain could undo it!
Other than that…
Nothing!
Hence, the dog chain had long sat unused in the inventory… until now, unexpectedly proving useful!
Clang, clang!Clang, clang!
The dog chain suddenly shook violently.
Angel had apparently successfully located Tara's hiding place.
The demons quickly activated their divine power, leaping forward.
In an instant, they appeared before Angel!
"This!"
"Even lightning is too slow a comparison!"
Angel was stunned.
His speed had already reached 20 Mach.
With the Phantom Mask, his power surged further, approaching 40 Mach!
No wonder…
The Mountain Demon could capture him alive!
Finally, the mystery was solved.
"Shh!"
"What's happening there?"
"Setting up a temple and an altar?"
Shen Du narrowed his eyes, holding a finger to his lips.
Zhong Su, Di Kui, and Bo Gang quickly fell silent.
They watched as sinister figures moved in the distance, carrying and assembling specialized equipment.
Complex, eerie magical symbols were being drawn.
A whiskered, cat-faced monster oversaw the work, inspecting it carefully.
"Beast!"
"We shall return!"
"Lead us to unleash ultimate darkness, erasing the multiverse!"
"Our path is not one Earth."
"But countless Earths!"
Tara's voice roared, eerie and magical, rallying morale.
Countless Earths?!
The seven Mummy Generals looked on in astonishment.
Ultimate darkness?
The multiverse?
They understood each individual word, but the sentences made no sense!
"Interesting."
Shen Du's eyes narrowed.
This was the exquisite ritual recorded in the Great Compendium of Magic!
It could pierce the barrier between two worlds, summon beings from extra dimensions, and smuggle them into the real world!
Even massive magical arrays formed by the Mage Temple couldn't stop it!
Almost forgot!
The author of the Compendium of Magic was the Phantom Demon King…
Tara!
He knew the top-tier spells in the book were no ordinary matter.
"Yes."
"The Yushida family has been acquiring rare magical materials."
"To complete the ritual."
"And facilitate the return of the primordial demon!"
Angel gritted his teeth, speaking with venom.
Primordial demon.
Demons.
Vast in number and variety.
Even ancient sages versed in demonology could not draw definitive conclusions.
Yet, without a doubt, primordial demons were among the rarest demon species!
"Primordial" meant the first.
The oldest.
Referring to prehistoric demons born on Earth.
Local specialties!
Evil, resentment, jealousy…
All negative emotions concentrated into tangible monsters!
Beasts.
The indigenous primordial demons of Fusang.
As for ancient demons, they were more elemental in concept, materializing aspects of nature.
Old gods.
Even ancient magic wielders held corresponding authority!
Hell's demon lords typically drew power from the fear of living beings—their souls!
Dimensional lords followed even stranger paths, expanding their domains, eliminating their variants, until achieving multiversal singularity!
Multiversal singularity—the theoretical pinnacle.
Beyond this level, ordinary species were unqualified to approach!